Machine for making metal balls.



PATENTED MAR. 13, 1906.

No. 814,807. r O. T. SGHNITZER.

MACHINE FOR MAKING METAL BALLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 12, 1905.

CARL T. SOHNITZER, ()F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

" MACHINE FOR MAKING METAL BALLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patented March 13, 1906.

Application filed M y 05- fll 0- 260,110.

To t zilhmn, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CARL T. SCHNITZER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for MakingMetal Balls, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for forming and finishing balls, suchas are employed for ball-bearings and for other purposes.

The main object of my invention is to form the balls in an expeditiousmanner by a compressing and kneading process from blanks so that thegrain of the metal is distributed throughout the ball, being interlacedin such manner that there is no danger of the ball breaking or cracking.

In carrying out my invention I provide a shaft or roller formed with aspiral groove and extending through a die, at the mouth of which isformed a groove, preferably annular and which cooperates with the rooveof the shaft or roller to form and finisht e ball. The machine is soconstructed that as the shaft or roller is rotated it is moved throughthe die so that the blank or ball while being formed is caused totraverse the spiral groove: in this way being compressed into shape,rolled into spherical form, and finished,

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a front elevation ofamachine embodying my improvements with parts in section and partsbroken away. Fig. 2 is a local .section on the line 2 2 of Fig. .1 ofthe casin where the blanks are rolled. Fi .3 is a detai view showing avertical section 0 a portion of the grooved roller or shaft. Fig. 4 is adetail view, in vertical section, of the clutch Inechan ism forconnecting the beveled spur-wheels with their driving-wheels. Fig. 5 isa diagram illustrating the manner in which a cylindrical blank is rolledand compressed by the grooved shaft or roller and the die into sphericalform.- Figs. 6 to 10 ,inclusive, illustrate 'the manner in which theblank is formed into a sphere, Fig. 6 showing the blank as it is firstcut from a bar and as it is placed into the machine. Fig. 7 shows a lonitudinal section through such a blank, il ustrating by dotted lines thearrangement of the gram of the metal. Fig. Sshows how the blank isrounded over at its ends, and the dotted lines indicate how the grain isknit or interlaced. Fig. 9 shows the arrangement after the rollingoperation has further progressed. Fig. 10 shows the arrangement afterthe sphere is struction adapted to support the working parts of themechanism. As shown, the standards A sup ort a table B. In this table issupported a ie C, formed with a central opening 0 and having around themouth of,

this opening on itsv upper side an annular groove D. This die is fixedto the table B.

Above it is arranged a housing E, consisting of a closed top e, verticalposts e, and inter mediate sections e These may be made of transparentmaterial, such as mica, and one of the sections may be removable,constituting a door, by means of which access may be had to the interiorof the housing and through which the blanks may be inserted. Through thehousing extends vertically a shaft or roller F. The upper portion ofthis roller is shown as plane and cylindrical and of smallercross-section than the grooved portion below and is adapted to movevertically through a guide f in the top of the housing E. the housingthe roller is formed with a continuous spiral groove G of the form moreclearly illustrated in Fig. 3. Below the die the roller is made plane orungrooved at f, and it extends through beveled gear-wheels HI and acollar J. The lower endf of the shaft or roller F extends into a seat orsocket f in a frame K. A ball-bearing L is preferably arranged betweenthe frame K and the lower gear-wheel I, so that the gear-wheels andshaft may have their weight borne by the rollers, and therefore canrevolve freely. The frame K is adapted to move vertically in guides inthe standards A. The lower end of the frame is connected by a link Mwith a lever N, pivoted at n to a suitable support and connected by alink 0 with a lever P, by means of which the frame K may be raised andlowered either by hand or by suitable automatic mechanism connectedtherewith. The frame K carries a short shaft Q, to which is secured achain-wheel and a spur-wheel S. A chain may be applied to the chainwheelR in any suitable manner so as to revolve the shaft Q, but allow theframe K to move up and down to a limited extent without stopping therotation of the shaft Q. The spur-wheel S is provided with two series ofteeth 8 and s, the teeth 8 being adapted to gear with the beveled wheelH. and the \Yithin I teeth .9 are adapted to gear with the beveled wheelI.

In the construction shown all the wheels are in gear with each other;but by the mechanism shown in Fig. 4 only one of the wheels H or I'isconnected with the roller or shaft F at one time. As there shown, thelower portion of the shaft is formed with a groove q, in which fits akey 9, that is adapted to slide therein. The beveled wheels Hand I areformed with grooves or recesses adapted to receive the key g, andset-screws g are em plo ed for connecting the wheels H and I wit thekey, so that either one ofthe wheels may be rigidly secured to the shaftF, so as to revolve therewith, while the other wheel will revolve freelyaround the shaft. Other mechanism may be employed for connecting anddisconnecting the Wheels H and I. In this way the speed of rotation ofthe shaft F. may be varied.

The mechanism 0 erates in the following manner: Blanks of t e form shownin Fig. 6 are cut from a bar, and while still hot a blank is introducedinto the housing E and falls onto the inclined surface 0 of the die C.It then rolls down into the groove Din the manner shown at 00 in Fig. 5.The shaft F is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow,

and its groove G receives the blank in the manner illustrated. As theshaft is rotated it is gradually lowered, and the blank for the ball ,iscarried downward and horizontall forward, as indicated in Fig. 5.Inasmucli as the die is stationary while the shaft is revolving theblank will be turned in the manner indicated at y in Fig. 5, its cornersbe ing rounded. Afterward it will be further turned and rounded, asindicated. at 2 and 2, until finally after having traversed the groove Gand repeatedly traveled around in the groove D it will assume aspherical form, as indicated at w in Fig. 5: T he blank is larger thanthe spiral groove, but is smaller than the distance between the upperreduced end of the shaft F and the sides of the opening C in the die,and consequently is held between the spiral groove on the roller and thegroove in the die-plate until the shaft F has descended so that itsupper reduced end is in the opening in the dieplate,when the blank,which is now a finished ball, drops onto the receiver U, carried by themoving frame K.

It will be understood that the blanks when delivered to the mechanismare hot, and as it is desirable to keep them so I provide the housing E,before mentioned. I have shown a'single s irally-grooved roller or shaftF and a single ie; but it is obvious that the numberlmay be increasedand operated simultaneous y.

Balls made by the mechanism described are strong, hard, and durable andneed no further treatment.

I claim as my invention 1. A machine for making balls, comprising anendwise movable revoluble s irallygrooved shaft or roller and a die trough which said roller operates.

2. The combination of a die having a vertical opening and a groovesurrounding the opening, a shaft formed with a spiral groove andextending through the die and means for rotating the shaft and formoving it endwise. 3. A machine for making and finishing ballscomprising a stationary die, a spirallygrooved shaft extending throughthe die and means for rotating said shaft and for moving it endwise.

4. A machine for making balls comprising a stationary die having aninclined surface, a central opening, and a groove surrounding theopening, a housing covering the die, a spirally-grooved shaft extendingthrough the die, and means for rotating the shaft and for moving itendwise.

5. A machine for making balls comprising a stationary die, its housing,a spirallygrooved shaft extending through the die, a vertically movableframe supporting the shaft and means for moving the frame vertically andfor rotating the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

CARL T. SCHNITZER. Witnesses:

LLOYD B. WIGHT,- PAUL J. GATHMANN.

